best shop for gold

[susuz.1]

I always use Royal Jewellery shop in Olu Deniz. This is run my Mustafa and I must say, we have always had very good service from him. He has an in-house repair and jewellery maker and myself and all the family  have had excellent good quality jewellery.

Mustafa is always keen to tell you lots of interesting facts about jewellery and also pitfalls of some of the larger chains!

Mustafa gives a Certificate of Guarantee and will give you the amount you paid for it in future years.  I have done this myself when I wanted a change.

He will also make up items from your own designs, incorporate old treasured pieces of jewellery and buy old gold from you (he gave me a very good price last year).  On the items I gave to him, I exchanged them for a another ring (diamond and platinum)plus a new white gold ring and I asked him to enlarge an eternity ring and to have this dipped in white gold to match the new rings. I had to pay about a £300 balance.  This new solitaire and platinum ring alone has been valued at £10,000 in the UK which is thousands more than I actually paid!!!

He also made an engagement ring last year for my niece.  The ring was made up in a couple of hours.  The valuer back in the UK commented on the exceptional quality of the work and clarity of diamonds.  The ring was purchased at just over £1,000 and it was valued at £3,500 in the UK  

It's also worth the trip there to have a chance to sit upstairs in the Buzz Bar to watch the world go by  

[sunnyd]

I have known the Dikmen family for about 8/9 years, always use their change office and the jewellers just round the corner, Cumhuriyet Mah. I always recommend them, and I have personally never had a bad experience, nor have friends of mine that use this shop.

[Jacqui Harvey]

I know Nikkie it was your recommendation that sent us there in the first place and we were very happy with the bracelet.  I hope we are friends of yours and if we are, we had a bad experience.
I did not mention what happened last year before now as I felt totally stupid, however, when I saw the mail about this Jeweller I felt I had to say something.  It's a horrible feeling to know you have been taken for a ride and it's still difficult for me to come to terms with. It makes me cringe every time I think about what happened and how humiliated I felt.   I would not come on this Forum and relate this tale if it were not perfect true.

[sunnyd]

Jacqui, I too hope that you class me as a friend! Did you go to the Dikmen office just around the corner from the Dikmen change office? or the Dikmen office in Paspatur? If you had a bad experience at the town centre office (a couple of steps from the change office) then you should have told me. As I said previously I have known them for many years and have never had any complaints, personally or via my recommendations.
Just as a comment, I always ask,(where ever I am, be it the Uk or else where), for a written quote, and then I know what to expect for repairs OR for an evaluation.

[susuz.1]

Whilst on the subject of repairs, be careful of offers of "free" jewellery cleaning. There's apparently a market in the gold that is removed in the cleaning process.

Some jewellers  can be very harsh in the process in order to remove as much gold as possible and there is a possibility of damage or loosening/scratching of precious stones.

Susuz

[sunnyd]

quote:Originally posted by Jacqui Harvey

Last year I took in a  small cameo brooch,  that had belonged to my Grandmother and asked for a new gold setting for it.  I was told they would make a small frame with a catch at the back.  I also took in a ring belonging to my daughter that had lost a small stone, and a watch that needed a very small repair to the catch.   The owner looked the repairs and said he would only charge for the brooch.  It would be 250.00  I  though that quite good.

Just to say, as re: the above, there were 3 items that were deposited for repairs,
1. Cameo brooch, new frame and catch,
2. Ring, small stone replacement.
3. watch, repair to the catch.
The repairs to all items were completed.

You accepted a price, 250.00, prior to any work and/or replacements necessary, and obviously without a mention of currency. You thought, and quote 'I though (spelling error to mean 'thought') that quite good' end quote, with regards to the price stated at the time of evaluation.

[Toky]

As I read it SunnyD, Jacquie thought the cost of 250 was LIRA. It's one hell of a difference then being charged that amount in Sterling. That must have been a shock to you Jacqui. I personnally think the halcyon days of getting really good prices on jewellery purchases or repairs in Turkey, are over. After all, gold prices have risen worldwide, not just in th UK.

[Jacqui Harvey]

Thanks Toky, Yes, I assumed as we were in Turkey I was being quote in Turkish Lira.   When I got my bracelet the price quoted was TL and we paid in TL so I had no reason to assume 250 was sterling and not TL.   If I had of realised it was Sterling I would not have agreed the deal in the first place.  

However, I have put it to bed now and it's a valuable lesson learned.   Always get an estimate/receipt, always get the trader to quote the currency he is using.   I would also agree with Toky on the gold question.  The price of gold has rocketed lately and I don't think buying or getting repairs in Turkey would be any cheaper than the U.K. nowadays, maybe it was a few years ago.     I know people have said they buy in Turkey and get high valuations when they get back to the U.K. but valuations are not sales.  A valuation for insurance purposes will always be more.   A customer of mine was telling me he had a diamond ring that had belonged to his late wife.  He had paid for insurance every year and after she passed, he took it to sell with the valuation certificate which was six years old the valued stated was £8,000.  He was offered £1,000.    Next time anyone gets a valuation ask the Jeweller will he buy it  immediatley, for the price he quotes.

I would also like to mention to susuz.1  that there is no such thing as white gold.  All gold is yellow and is mixed with a base metal to colour it white, some metals used are silver and nickel.   "White" gold became popular in the 1920's as a cheap alternative to Platinium. The E.U. are now bring out rules to stop nickel being used as it can cause dermatitis and has  slight cancer causing properties.  (check Google for these facts).  I would suspect that susuz.1 's ring was coated in silver.    

[posleeds]

quote:Originally posted by Jacqui Harvey



I would also like to mention to susuz.1  that there is no such thing as white gold.  All gold is yellow and is mixed with a base metal to colour it white, some metals used are silver and nickel.   "White" gold became popular in the 1920's as a cheap alternative to Platinium. The E.U. are now bring out rules to stop nickel being used as it can cause dermatitis and has  slight cancer causing properties.  (check Google for these facts).  I would suspect that susuz.1 's ring was coated in silver.    

White gold in the UK is traditionally plated in Rhodium to give it a hard white finish - even gold mixed with a "white" base metal still needs to be plated to give it the finish expected as standard.

[susuz.1]

Quite right Jacqui about the White gold - don't know why I said that  

I will check out what he uses on these rings next time. The ring valued at £10000 is platinum which is definitely not plated  

I know I get a good deal from this particular jeweller - it is not a nice feeling if you feel you have been misled or conned in some way. This can only put people off, so will do no good in the long run.

Susuz